Saar (Germany)

Saar State, Saarland

Last modified: 2020-03-10 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: saar | saarland | quartered | lion(silver) | lion(golden) | crowned | cross(red) | bend | eaglets(3) |
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• Civil and State Flag (Landesflagge)
• Vertical flag for hoisting from a crossbar (Bannerflagge)
• Vertical flag for hoisting from a horizontal pole (Hängeflagge)
• Coat-of-Arms (Wappen)

• Saar Territory 1920-1935 (Saargebiet)
• Saarland 1947-1956
• Flag Legislation
• Flag Legislation (2001)
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Civil and State Flag / Landesflagge

The Land and state flag is black-red-gold and has the Arms in the middle. Proportions 3:5. It was adopted on 9 July 1956 and came into force on 1 January 1957. It was published 10 September 1956 in the Amtsblatt des Saarlandes (Official Bulletin of the Saar State). The dates are the same concerning the coat-of-arms.
Pascal Vagnat, 19 Dec 1995

The "normal" horizontal variant of the flag is described in the Law on State Symbols of 7 November 2001 as Flagge des Saarlandes als Hissflagge or Saar flag for hoisting. The coat-of-arms is in the centre of the flag - not offset to the hoist, as is frequent in similar German flags - and a rather wide white border is provided around the coat-of-arms, although this is nowhere defined or described in the law. The illustration shows the hoist at the right of the observer, obviously indicating that the coat-of-arms should be separately applied on the obverse as well as on the reverse. Proportion 3:5; usage as civil and state service flag.
M. Schmöger, 24 May 2002

Vertical flag for hoisting from a crossbar / Bannerflagge

The Law on State Symbols of 7 November 2001 shows a Flagge des Saarlandes als Bannerflagge or Saar flag as banner flag. This is the vertical "banner" variant, to be hung from a crossbar. The coat-of-arms is shown upright, slightly shifted to the top of the flag. Same size of the coat-of-arms, same white border as for the horizontal version. Proportion shown as 5:3, probably longer flags would be in use more frequently, for instance 5:2; usage as civil and state service flag.
M. Schmöger, 24 May 2002

Vertical flag for hoisting from a horizontal pole / Hängeflagge

The Law on State Symbols of 7 November 2001 shows a Flagge des Saarlandes als Hängeflagge or Saar flag as vertical hanging flag. This the vertical variant hanging from a horizontal flag pole. Interestingly the illustration shows this flag like the horizontal flag, only turned by 90°. That means the coat-of-arms is also turned by 90°, different from the Bannerflagge. Same size of the coat-of-arms, same white border as above. Proportion shown as 5:3, probably longer flags would be in use more frequently, for instance 5:2; usage as civil and state service flag.
M. Schmöger, 24 May 2002

Coat-of-Arms / Wappen

From the Law on State Symbols of 7 November 2001:
§ 1. Description
The state coat-of-arms (appendix 1) shows in a half-round shield quarterly, from the position of the bearer:
Above right: Azure seme of crosses Argent a Lion Argent crowned Or langued Gules,
Above left: Argent a cross gyronny Gules,
Below right: Or on a bend Gules three alerions Argent,
Below left: Sable a lion Or crowned armed and langued Gules.
For the translation of the coat-of-arms' blason thanks to Pascal Gross.
M. Schmöger, 26 May 2002

It is a quartered Coat of Arms which contains the Coat of Arms of the most important rulers of the Saar area in the end of the 18th century: The silver lion of Nassau-Saarbrücken, the golden lion of the Dukes of Lothringen, the cross of the Archbishopric and Electorate of Trier and the Coat of Arms of the Principality of Pfalz-Zweibrücken .
Patrick Fischer, 1 May 2004

The golden lion is the Palatinate lion (Pfalz-Zweibrüücken), whereas the symbol for Lorraine (German. Lothringen) is the bend gules with three eaglets (allerions). The ruling house of Austria was known as Habsburg-Lothringen after the marriage of Maria Theresia (1717-1780) with Franz Stephan of Lothringen (as Franz I German Emperor 1745-1765). Thus the Lorraine arms in the Austrian-Hungarian coat of arms.
M. Schmöger, 2 May 2004

From 's Ralf Hartemink's webpage:
The arms were adopted on 9 July 1956 and became official on the 1 January 1957.
The arms are a combination of four arms of families or areas that are important in the history of the State of Saarland. The arms show in the first quarter the arms of Saarbrücken, in the second quarter the arms of Trier, in the third the arms of Lorraine and in the fourth quarter the arms of the Pfalz.

The lion of Saarbrücken represents the influence first of the Counts of Saarbrücken until 1271, the Lords of Commercy from 1271-1381 and, since 1381, the Counts of Nassau-Saarbrücken. The latter family ruled a large part of the present state. The lion is the original lion of the counts of Saarbrücken. It is known from the early 13th century and from 1220 the lion is crowned. The crosses were added during the reign of the Lords of Commercy as Counts of Saarbrücken. At present the lion is double-tailed. This is known since 1744, in a description of the arms of Nassau-Saarbrücken.
A large part of the State, especially in the Southern and Western parts, the Counts of Lorraine (Lothringen) owned large areas and had much influence from the 11th century until the 16th century. The arms of Lorraine are known since the 12th century. See also the part on Lorraine in the French section of the site (when available).
The area around Zweibrücken was part of the Principality of Pfalz-Zweibrücken. The area was inherited in 1381 by the Wittelsbach family, who also ruled the Pfalz. Besides Zweibrücken they also acquired Homburg and Nohfelden.
The Archbishops of Trier, finally, owned Sankt Wendel and some smaller areas. The cross is the arms of the state, not the city of Trier.
Source: Stadler 1966, p.67 ff.
Santiago Dotor, 28 Sep 2005

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